Canada Plans Field Hospital for Mosul Battle

Canadian Minister of Defence Harjit Sajjan has announced that Canada will establish and staff a field hospital (or military hospital) as a part of its contribution to the forthcoming battle for Mosul, expected some time over the coming winter. Sajjan noted,

“As part of our ongoing commitment, Canada will soon deploy up to 60 medical personnel who will be leading a medical facility alongside coalition partners in northern Iraq.”

The move will be welcomed by Iraqi and Kurdish commanders planning for the fight, which is expected to be the most difficult battle against the so called Islamic State so far.

Canada’s contribution to Iraq’s campaign has been somewhat peculiar however, with air strikes withdrawn, to Iraqi and Kurdish disappointment, while other assistance, such as CP-140 Aurora surveillance and CC-150T Polaris refueling aircraft have been kept in place.